Running: DCU Center could be site of Worcester’s first indoor road race

Sunday

Jan 27, 2013 at 6:00 AM

John Conceison Running

It’s never too early to think ahead, especially when pondering a novel idea.

Scott Sutter, a Connecticut resident who once worked five years for a bank in Worcester, is hoping to bring his brainstorm to town in December, one that could very well put some warmth into the winter running scene.

The DCU Center’s exhibition hall could be the site of Worcester’s first indoor road race. No, this isn’t indoor track — this event is expected to have 5K and 10K races on the concourse floor as is, with fun runs and CrossFit competitions also being considered.

Though the event is still in the preliminary planning stages, Sutter has tentatively booked the exhibition hall for Saturday, Dec. 28. On Saturday, he oversaw the first Veterans Inc. Indoor Half Marathon and Marathon Relay at the XL Center in Hartford, using the convention concourse at that arena.

While he is waiting for feedback from Saturday’s races, Sutter is ambitious about running an event in Worcester. Over the past three months, he has been in constant contact with DCU Center and area officials. Sutter has cased the exhibition hall and visualized what would make a successful winter event there.

Sutter, who around the turn of this century was a distance runner at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., has planned several road races near Somers, Conn., where he lives. At a race directors’ meeting last summer, he started to bounce off others this pipe dream about conducting a winter event in a large concourse, free of the potential elements. After all, when the weather was brutally hot for training at The Citadel, Sutter’s coach brought the drills indoors to a concourse of one of the campus’ halls.

He called the XL Center on a whim, not knowing if officials there would take the idea seriously. XL’s people called right back and liked what they heard, and Sutter had more than 100 runners participate Saturday.

It’s an event with fairly low overhead for the building, which doesn’t need to be heated over 50 degrees for the runners and can operate on a minimum of lighting. Sutter brought in seats for around the course and the digital timing and lap-counting equipment. And because of the limited space involved, only a minimum of volunteers were needed.

Originally, the Hartford event was only going to have a half marathon and a marathon relay, but Sutter added a 5K to the slate. The winners were introduced between periods of last night’s Connecticut Whale hockey game at the XL Center. For the $75 half marathon entry fee, runners received a technical T-shirt, a sizable goody bag and a ticket to the hockey game. Running in the 5K cost $20.

Because the indoor course in the DCU’s exhibition hall will span only about 230 meters, Sutter says a half marathon or marathon wouldn’t be practical. But he sees the potential for quality 5K, 10K and CrossFit events, all wrapped into one festival just after Christmas.

“I know how New England can be parochial, that it can be hard to get people involved,” the 35-year-old Sutter said. “But the sky’s the limit (for an event like this) once it establishes itself.”

Sutter planned to contact the Central Mass. Striders, among other area running organizations, after the Hartford event. He had a professional photographer on hand to catch the sights of the maiden voyage into indoor road racing and show that an event like this can work in Worcester.

“I started this whole thing to make friends,” said Sutter, who noted he hopes to put part of any leftover proceeds into a website that would empower the Worcester event. “We’re using Hartford as a beta test. We want to create a different kind of event, and be able to add content.”

“We’re always into events like this that will bring families into Worcester for a weekend, to support family members who would be taking part in the event,” DCU general manager Sandra Dunn said.

Like the Hartford event, Sutter hopes to honor winners of the Worcester race between periods at a Sharks game. And also like Hartford’s Veterans Inc. event, Sutter is committing himself to have the DCU event benefit a particular worthy cause in our city.